Hande's Flying Carpet
By Hande Yazar / @Milan
'COULD YOU DROP ME OFF HERE, PLEASE?'
Daily Rundown from Italy
05/05/2021
Prime Minister Draghi at the G20: "It's time to book your vacation in Italy, we are ready to welcome you"; Italy prepares to open its doors after the second half of May
Tourism continues to be one of the most affected sectors by the pandemic. Globally, there has been a 73% decrease in international tourist arrivals in 2020. Moreover, nearly 63 million people around the world lost their jobs. Therefore, the resumption of the tourism sector is crucial for the recovery of the world economy.
During the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Italy is ready to welcome tourists this summer. With the National Green Card, which will enter into force from the second half of May, Italians will be able to change regions within the country. As of the second half of June, with the Green Card application by the European Union, access between EU countries will be eased.
So what is this Green Card? Officially called 'green certificate' or 'green card', this permit will be valid for six months for those who are vaccinated and those who recover from Covid-19. For those who will pass antigen or molecular tests with negative results, this document will be given for 48 hours. Those who will falsify the documents, risks sanctions reach up to imprisonment.
04/05/2021
Star Wars Day Analysis: Italian interest in Star Wars world products increased by 56.4%; Lombardy Region dominates the market; Master Yoda becomes the most coveted character
For more than 40 years, Star Wars, which has impressed its fans not only with its films but also with its products, has been a gateway to other galaxies for many generations.
According to the analysis conducted by Idealo, the site that compares prices and products online, last year an average of 56.4% increase in Star Wars searches in the Italian market is noted. The analysis on Italy is as follows:
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The Italian market is 100% dominated by the Lombardy Region, which is in the north of the country.
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With a rate of 72.3%, men prefer Star Wars products more than women.
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With a rate of 56.5%, interest in the products comes from Italians between the ages of 25 and 44.
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With the 2-season series 'Star Wars: The Mandalorian' released in 2019, online product and gadget searches noted an increase of 462.1% compared to the same period in 2019.
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Among the Star Wars characters, Master Yoda was the most popular.
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Grogu, a character from the series, took second place, while the list continued as Baby Yoda, Ben Solo / Kylo Ren, Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rey, Han Solo, and Chewbacca.
03/05/2021
Inter Milan won the title in Italian Serie A after 11 years
Inter Milan beat Crotone 2-0 in week 34 of Serie A. After Atalanta, the nearest rival, drew 1-1 with Saussolo, let Inter to secure the championship.
Inter, despite remaining 4 weeks to the end of the 2020-2021 season, outdid its closest rivals AC Milan, Napoli and Atalanta by 13 points. Mathematically guaranteed the first place, Inter officially announced its championship yesterday.
By ending Juventus's 9-year reign, Inter have won the Serie A title after 11 years. Inter, who got 25 wins, 7 draws and 2 defeats in 34 games they played this season. In total, 'Nerazzurri' has 19 championships in Serie A.
After the last whistle, Inter fans ran to the streets for celebrations and blockaded the city. Nerazzuri fans formed convoys with their vehicles with marches, cheers and horns. Thousands of Inter fans gathered in Duomo Square for celebrations. Milan, which is in the yellow zone and where Covid-19 restrictions are eased, noted such a crowded group together for the first time in months. Transportation was disrupted due to chaos, and many tram and bus lines passing through the Duomo and its surroundings stopped their services for Sunday evening.
30/04/2021
Unemployment fell to 10.1% in March, but rises for women
The unemployment data announced for 2021 is as following:
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In the first quarter of the year, 254 thousand people lost their jobs.
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Again in this quarter, the number of people looking for a job (2.4% = 59 thousand) and inactive people between the ages of 15-64 (1.0% = 134 thousand) has increased.
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34 thousand more people were hired in March than in February.
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The level of unemployment is 1.1% lower.
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The unemployment rate for women rises 2 points more to 11.4%.
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1 in 5 Italians have economic difficulties.
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Household income, purchasing power and consumption rate are decreasing.
29/04/2021
23 positive for Covid-19 on the flight from India, two of them from the flight crew, Indian variant is feared
Those on the plane that landed at Rome Fiumicino Airport from India at 21:15 yesterday evening were directly taken to the Covid-19 test. All 213 passengers and 10 flight crews took the test. 9% of the passengers and 2 people from the flight crew were positive.
As of last night, everyone on the plane was put in isolation for 10 days . The fear is whether Covid-19 found in positive people is an Indian variant. Results are expected from the Spallanzani Institute.
While the total number of deaths exceeds 204 thousand in India, the number of daily cases is rapidly increasing every day. Hospitals are insufficient towards the aggressive number of cases. In Italy, the spread of the Indian variant is feared.
28/04/2021
Hundreds of people gathered in Milan's squares on Sunday, April 25, celebrating the 'Liberation Day' of Italy
April 25 is a national holiday commemorating the victory of the end of Nazi-fascist regime in Italy during World War II and its liberation from the dictatorship of Mussolini.
As of May 1, 1945, the whole country was liberated from the 23-year fascist regime. As a result, on June 2, 1946, Italians opted for the transition from monarchy to republic with a referendum.
Although it was a day before the ease of Covid-19 restrictions, the Independence Day was celebrated with enthusiasm throughout the country, especially in Milan. After the opening ceremony in Milan which was held in Piazza Mercanti (Merchants Square) near the Duomo, the march took place to Piazza Castello (Castle Square).
26/04/2021
Cinemas in Italy re-opened months later, tickets for the first session at dawn sold out
Cinemas and theaters in Italy, which are among the sectors most affected by Covid-19 restrictions, started to re-open their doors to the public today after months.
Seat reservation is required in theaters and cinemas, concert halls, live clubs, other venues, and even for outdoor performances.
Beltrade Cinema in Milan became one of the first cinemas to meet public months later with a mini-marathon that started at 6 am. Monica Naldi, one of the directors of the cinema, stating that they did not expect the first session to attract such attention, said that the tickets were sold out in a short time and they had to send many people away. Fans tried to reach the cinema by car, bicycle or motorbike in order to be early and find tickets since even the subways in the city were not working in such early hours of the morning.
23/04/2021
Prime Minister Draghi's €221 billion Rescue Plan's €57 billion will be allocated to green energy
The 135-clause investment plan, which is announced the day after Earth Day, drew attention with sparing an article for the investment in green energy. If there will be no changes in the draft, 30% of the total amount (€57 billion) will be invested in green energy.
Speaking at the Climate Summit 2021 yesterday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi emphasized that this year will be a new era for the EU and especially for Italy and said "We want to act now, not to regret it later.". Giving the first signals of the Rescue Plan, repeated "We can make our economy greener and more inclusive.".
Mario Draghi brought a National Rescue and Resilience Plan worth a total of €221.5 billion to the Council of Ministers. Investment of EU funds will be gathered under 6 main matters: digital transformation of the Italian economy, climate and environment, education and research, infrastructure, health and improving social cohesion.
22/04/2021
Notes from Italy on Earth Day: Celebrities are on the phone with Prime Minister Draghi, what the data published by Waste Watcher indicates for Italy and the #OnePeopleOnePlanet marathon is held online this year again
The video "A phone call to Mario Draghi" shared by Greenpeace Italy on the occasion of Earth Day was hit on the today's agenda. The protagonists of the video, Italian celebrities pretend to be on the phone with the Prime Minister, reminding that the Rescue Plan is an opportunity to redesign the country's future and avoid emergency on climate change.
Celebrities emphasized that it is important to use Rescue and Resilience Plan on green future and sustainability. Billions of euros valued Rescue Plan is prepared to prevent the economic crisis caused by Covid-19 and will be announced in the following days. The video of the celebrities underlining how the Rescue Plan is a good opportunity to contribute to the future of Italy and prevent climate change, was also a big hit on social media.
The international observatory Waste Watcher which focuses on food and sustainability, published data on Italy is as follows:
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39% of Italy tries to avoid food waste
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34% want to be more environmentally 'on foot or by bicycle' in the future
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Every 3 Italians try to buy only what is really necessary
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31% will work from home from today
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26% plan to travel to places that don't require a plane and 1 in 4 Italians plan to go on vacation
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25% will try to buy more 'used stuff' instead of new
The Earth Day celebrations in Italy, which was held online last year due to the Covid-19, continues also online this year with the title #OnePeopleOnePlanet. The live broadcast, which will continue for 13 hours, will meet the audience through the digital platform Rai Play.
The program will be full of speakers from Italy and around the world in the fields of economy, sustainability, technological innovation, science, environment, sports, religion, music, entertainment and sustainable cuisine.
21/04/2021
Green light to Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine from the European Medicines Agency, benefit ratio is higher than the risk, will be distributed today in Italy.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced that it acknowledged the 'possible' cause-effect links between the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine and 'very rare' cerebral thrombosis cases occurring in the USA. However, the EU agency gave the green light to the distribution of the vaccine, underlining that the benefits outweigh the risks.
Although the EU agency does not firmly confirm the risk factors, it summarized its observations on the cerebral thrombosis cases occurring in the US as: mostly women and people under 60 years old.
Upon approval from the Italian Pharmaceutical Agency (AIFA) yesterday, Italian Covid-19 Extraordinary Board Director Francesco Paolo Figliuolo announced that the distribution of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine to the regions will begin today.
April 15, 2021
Total number of vaccines in Italy reached to 17 million, nearly 14 million administered
According to the data released this morning by the Covid-19 Extraordinary Commission, the total number of vaccines distributed to the regions in Italy reached up to 17,130,760. Details from Italy are as following:
- Total number of vaccines: 17.130.760
- Number of vaccines administered: 13.927.650
Number of people who have vaccinated both 2 doses : 4,138,845
Vaccine distribution by supplier:
Pfizer / BioNTech: 11.814.660
Moderna: 1.320.400
Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) : 3,995,700
Distribution of vaccines by categories:
Health Workers : 3.177.207
Non-medical personnel: 528,183
Over 80 years old: 4,830,585
Armed forces: 235,944
School staff: 1,124,415
Retirement Houses & Homeless Shelters: 601,833
Other: 3.429.483
Vaccine distribution by gender:
Female: 8,144,634
Male: 5,783,016
Vaccine distribution by age:
16-19: 19.769
20-29: 737.062
30-39: 1.051.881
40-49: 1.440.507
50-59: 1.904.262
60-69: 1.476.508
70-79: 1.901.538
80-89: 4.392.987
90+: 1.003.136
April 16, 2021
Like post-war: despite shocking investment, public debt at its highest stage in 100 years
In order to stop the wave of the unemployment, which the rate is expected to reach to 9.6% this year, the green light was given to the Recovery Plan together with the Investment Plan of 237 billion euros.
This year, the ratio between gross domestic product and public debt is estimated as 159.8%. However, the fact that it exceeds the 159.5% rate which Italy experienced in the post-World War I, put the government in a difficult situation.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi emphasized that the fear is the possibility of a real social tsunami occurring with jobs at risk estimated at between one million and 500 thousand units.
The Draghi administration estimates that the unemployment rate will rise to 9.6% this year, and decline to 9.2% in 2022 and 8.5% in 2023.
With the Council of Ministers approving the new budget change request, 40 billion euros could be used to help businesses to re-start.
The new and latest provision to support businesses aims to bring a total of 237 billion euros in public investment. The two pillars of this strategy are defined by the Economy and Finance Document approved by the Council of Ministers and the Recovery Plan, which includes a budget of 40 billion to be used to finance the new decree.
April 19, 2021
Schools are waiting for April 26 to return to normal. As of today, 8 out of 10 students started face-to-face learning
Today, with the transition from red to orange zone in Campania region of Italy, 291 thousand more students have started face-to-face education at schools. As of today, only the regions of Puglia, Sardinia and Aosta Valley are in the red zone in Italy and distance learning continues in these three regions. Starting today, in total of 6 million 850 thousand of the 8.5 million enrolled students started face-to-face learning at schools.
The government has set the date to April 26th to switch to full face-to-face learning. If the decision goes through, the education will be 100% face-to-face in the yellow and orange regions on April 26, including all primary, high school and university students. In the red areas, primary school students up to the 8th grade will start full face-to-face learning.
The President of the National Principals Association, Antonello Gianelli while emphasizing that the percentage of vaccinated staff is high at 75%, said "I think it would be right to let schools decide how many students can go.".
Stating that education is the cornerstone of society, Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza underlined that transportation and overcrowding the institutions are the two most important issues and that they are working on it. When asked about the transition to full face-to-face learning, Speranza commented, "It's not crazy, it's a justified risk".
Anti-coronavirus monitoring methods and how to regulate public mobility will be clarified after this week's meetings.
April 12, 2021
Italy Aims June 2 to Re-open
Tourism Minister Massimo Garavaglia said that they are hoping to re-open Italy from June 2, 2021.
He underlined that scheduling the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in advance is important for the businesses to gain time to prepare. It is said that, the increasing number of protests by the bar owners, shopkeepers, hoteliers and others whom businesses have been closed for months due to the Covid-19 restrictions, played a role in this decision.
The reason behind aiming for this significant date is July 2 is not only Italy's Republic Day, but also this year the country is planning to celebrate it's 75th anniversary.
April 13, 2021
An Italian in charge of Reuters, the first woman to lead in the agency's 170-years history
Alessandra Galloni, native of Rome, 47-year-old journalist, was elected as the new chief editor of the globe-spanning news agency Reuters.
Galloni is the first Italian at the helm of Reuters, whom will make history as the first woman leader in the agency's 170-year history.
After leading the agency for a decade, Stephen J. Adler will retire this month from his duty as the editor-in-chief at Reuters, passing on his place to Galloni. During the Adler's leadership, Reuters has received numerous journalism awards as well as the industry's most prestigious honor, Pulitzer Prize for seven times.
Speaking four languages, Alessandra Galloni gained her bachelor's degree from Harvard University and completed her master's degree at the London School of Economics. Galloni, who has wide experience in business and political news, wrote for 13 years on economics and finance for the Wall Street Journal before starting her journey at Reuters in 2013.
April 14, 2021
Protests Spread, Health Minister promised re-opening to restaurants & bars in May on a condition of working outdoors
Protests by the restaurant, bar, store and small business owners, which were closed for a long time due to Covid-19 restrictions, have been going on for more than 2 weeks and spread across the country.
With increasing number of participation to the protests that started peacefully, the government decided to deploy police forces to take control. However, from time to time it let conflicts between the police and the demonstrators.
On Tuesday (13/04/2021), a group of demonstrators blocked Italy's most important and the busiest highway A1, near the town of Orte which is 60km from Rome. The protest, in which the police intervened by using pepper spray and tear gas, took a significant part on social media. The aggressive measures of the police let protesters to disperse later that night.
Increasing number of protest pushed officials to take action and this morning Italian Health Minister Roberto Sperneza promised restaurant and bar owners to re-open in May on a condition of working outdoors.